A/N: - Thanks to all who have reviewed, fav'd and followed. You guys really make it worth my while.

Chapter 2: Enter The Hero.

Number 4, Privet Drive, Surrey, England (Aug-08-1994)

A pair of eyes snapped open to reveal two emerald green irises. They wandered around the small room, taking in the peeling wallpapers and the many broken objects that filled the room, before coming to rest on a snowy female owl that was dozing peacefully in her cage. The eyes belonged to a tall, dark-haired individual who was now fully awake. His dorm-mates had always been in awe of his ability to go from a state of sleepy drowsiness to watchful wakefulness in a matter of seconds. But then again, Harry Potter had always been different.

Everything was quiet except for Dudley snoring in the next room. The twice-repaired alarm clock on his desk told him it was just before dawn. The Dursleys wouldn't be up for another two hours at least.

His scar was hurting again. Hurting, as it hadn't for more than two years now. The last time had been when he had stopped Quirrell from taking the Philosopher's stone. Flashes of the dream he had just had, came to him. Was it really a dream? It had seemed so real. He decided he needed a clear head before thinking about it.

Harry swung his long legs off the bed and got up, careful not to make any noise. He silently made his way to the bathroom, pausing only to take a thin piece of black cloth from his bedside table. The Dursley's did not know about his newly-acquired habit of rising early and he wished to keep it that way. At the wash-basin, Harry splashed some cold water on his face before looking in the mirror. Hair had just started growing on his face- the beginning of a moustache and a beard. As he had done routinely over the last year, Harry tied the piece of black cloth around his forehead like a halo, hiding the scar. His dark hair was messier than ever, given that he now his hair almost reached his shoulders. But it was the eyes which were the most remarkable feature, sparkling green, like water over a stone, calm, expressionless, holding their own secrets. The face that stared back at him could have belonged to as much a sixteenth-century bravo as James Potter.

Harry used the back door to exit the house. He walked out on to the road and stretched. Lupin had stressed on the importance of keeping physically fit. So Harry had cultivated the habit of jogging. And now, he felt peculiar throughout the day if he skipped his morning run. He started out slowly and then raised his pace to a steady soldier's trot that ate away the miles. He didn't stop until he reached a park four miles away. Harry had come here every morning since he had returned to Privet Drive. It was in a quiet neighborhood and was almost deserted except for a few other early morning walkers.

He made his way to his favorite bench in the park and dropped into it. The sun filtered mildly through the leaves of the giant oak tree under which the park bench was set. Harry almost felt sleepy again. Instead of succumbing, he sat up straight, legs on the ground, arms folded and eyes closed. Slowly, but deliberately, he started to empty his mind of all emotions. He concentrated on the dream he had had that morning, trying to remember it. The breeze was so pleasant, the sun so mild and the chirping of the birds so melodious, he caught himself drifting twice. Then the sounds around him faded away. He could still hear them, but like a distant echo.

He was seated on a beach, high above the sand, reading a book. The sounds of laughter came to him. He looked around and caught sight of two children playing in the sand. They were making sand-castles. As he watched, the little girl threw a bucket of water on the black-haired boy. He spluttered for a second. And then, reaching down, he neatly tripped the girl's knees from under her. She stumbled and fell head first into the sand-castle behind her. The boy's laughter rang out loud and clear.

Then suddenly, the seat Harry was sitting on began to move. He was rising into the air gently. Harry felt alive as he hadn't in days. This was better than any broom or hippogriff. He felt like he was moving in through the air without any support. Then he looked down to see he was sitting on something big and scaly. Then the scene changed abruptly.

The little boy's laughter died away and now Harry was in a room with a short man he recognized as Wormtail, who was looking silently at an old armchair. The armchair was speaking. Speaking, in a voice that Harry, with a sudden rush of dread, recognized only too well. Voldemort was talking to a man kneeling by the chair. "Earn his trust… Trick him…. Bring him to me… I need Harry Potter."

Harry opened his eyes. His head was pounding with the pain that he normally associated with Occlumency. In addition, his scar was also twinging painfully. Harry untied and tied the black cloth back over his scar again. It didn't ease the pain one bit. But he hadn't expected it to. It was just another habit he had cultivated.

Harry realized that his second dream hadn't really been a dream. It had actually happened. And Voldemort had sent a Death Eater to get close to him. "Brilliant." Harry thought. "Just one more person I have to watch out for."

Harry decided Sirius needed to know, and maybe he would tell Dumbledore when he saw him. But for now there was nothing to do but wait for the Death Eater to make contact. The park was starting to fill up with little kids and their parents. Watching them always made Harry feel better. This was the life Voldemort had taken away from him. And this was what he, Dumbledore, Sirius and so many others were fighting to protect. He slowly raised himself off the bench and started the long run back to Privet Drive.

This was going to change things. Voldemort had a body again. Or at least enough of a body to sit in an armchair. What had he expected? Dumbledore had warned him Voldemort would return. At least now, he could be stopped before he got too powerful. Then why did he feel so unnerved.

Harry was so lost in thought; he didn't even notice where he was going until he ran into the entire Dursley family in the dining hall. Aunt Petunia was cutting up a grapefruit into pieces and Dudley was watching with distaste. Harry cursed under his breath. He had managed to keep his early morning escapades a secret so far. And now….

"Boy, where have you been?" Uncle Vernon was his usual cheery self as he stared over the newspaper at Harry with intense dislike. Across the table from him, Dudley looked up from his plate, his piggy little eyes hopeful for some entertainment. Harry briefly considered giving Uncle Vernon a scathing reply, but decided against it. He simply turned away from Vernon and started walking towards the stair-case. Dudley went back to his breakfast with a disappointed look on his face, but Uncle Vernon bristled angrily. "BOY, come back here and answer me. You don't walk away when I'm talking to you. If you had been my son, you wouldn't behave like this."

Harry deliberately looked towards the kitchen where Dudley sat; staring blankly at his grape quarter as though it would increase in size if he stared at it hard enough. "Clearly."

That one word, which was delivered with all the tenderness of a speeding bullet, caused Uncle Vernon's face to turn a blotchy red. Harry couldn't decide whether it was out of embarrassment or anger. He decided to settle on anger when he saw Uncle Vernon's eyes narrow dangerously.

"Don't you dare talk to me like that boy. Dudley is ten times the man you are and…"

"I'm not arguing that."

Vernon tried to grab Harry by the throat as he had done so many times before. But Harry was faster. He moved just enough for Vernon's hand to miss him by an inch and then stepped forward looking down on Vernon's face. The growth spurt last year meant that Harry was as tall as Vernon. Uncle Vernon's eyes were now slits of fury. A vein was popping on his forehead. Harry saw an outburst coming from Vernon. He forestalled it, slightly angry himself. "Don't raise your voice Uncle. You'll just be wasting your breath. It doesn't work anymore." His voice was calm as always. But there was a hint of force there that Vernon did not miss. "And while we're at it, let me also tell you my friend and his father will be coming to pick me up the day after tomorrow. I would rather you didn't make a scene Uncle. You do remember what happened the last time I lost my temper, don't you? You wouldn't want your wife floating near the ceiling now, would you? "

He turned and sprinted up the steps, taking three at a time, leaving Vernon spluttering in the landing below. He had promised Dumbledore he would be careful not to lose his temper with the Dursleys. Come to think of it, he had promised Dumbledore he wouldn't lose his temper at all. Angry people made bad decisions. It was that simple. But Vernon's constant bullying was tiring. It didn't help he had just learned Voldemort was back, and that he was sending Death Eaters to trick him and kidnap him.

The first thing he noticed as he entered his room was that Hedwig was up and she did not look happy. The reason for her displeasure soon became apparent when it collided into the side of his head. Ron had sent Pigwidgeon with a letter. Harry snatched the over-enthusiastic little owl out of the air and untied the letter from its leg. It was from Ron.

"Hey Harry,

Did you tell the muggles we're coming the day after tomorrow? I hope they didn't give you too much of a hard time when they found out. But who cares right? We're going to see the Quidditch World Cup! It's going to be brilliant. Ireland vs. Bulgaria. I can finally show you Krum and maybe we'll even get to meet him after the match. There's going to be a post-match autograph signing session by the winning team. I hope Bulgaria wins. Don't tell anyone here I said that though.

But that's not even the big news. Dad came back from work today almost skipping. Guess what? The Triwizard tournament is gonna take place this year at Hogwarts. I'll explain all about it when you get here. Long story short, this year at Hogwarts is going to be the best ever. We'll get to see all kinds of cool stuff. You just wait…

Hermione's parents are going to drop her off here tomorrow. She'll be here for the rest of the summer too. So the three of us can be together almost a month before school actually starts. Sounds great right?

Alright then Harry. I'll see you on Tuesday. Take care.

Ron."

The corners of Harry's mouth turned upwards to form a half-smile. Somehow, the knowledge that he was going to see a friendly face soon made him feel a lot better. He turned to look at Hedwig. "Feeling up to a long journey?" he asked. She hooted reassuringly, her amber eyes fixed on the letter in Harry's hand. Harry finished writing a letter to Sirius, tied it to Hedwig's leg and carried her to the window. With a moment's pressure on his arm, she soared into the sky.

Harry leaned on the window, watching her go -a patch of white in the pale blue sky. He didn't know what the Triwizard tournament was. But it must be pretty big for Ron to rate it higher than the Quidditch World Cup. He was already looking forward to his next year at Hogwarts.

-#-

The Burrow, England (Aug-10-1994)

Hermione watched nervously as the figure of Fred spun into view inside the fireplace. He landed awkwardly on his knees, unable to use his hands to steady himself as he was carrying Harry's trunk. George darted forward to help him to his feet. Fred got up, trying hard to stop a grin from spreading on his face. The look that he gave George was mirrored on his twin brother's face.

The kitchen was crowded with all the Weasleys except for Ron and Mr. Weasley. Fred, George, Ron and Mr. Weasley had left to get Harry and it looked like he would be arriving soon. Everyone in the Burrow had gathered in the kitchen to greet Harry and was expecting his arrival. Hermione couldn't understand why she was so nervous. It was almost like she was about to enter the exam hall when she hadn't prepared for the exam.

The floo turned green again and Ron came into view. He caught himself from falling, dusted soot off his shirt and looked around the room, taking in the crowded kitchen. His eyes found Hermione, who was wedged in a chair between a very excited Ginny and Mrs. Weasley, and grinned at her uncertainly. Hermione returned it as best as she could. Their interactions when Harry wasn't around were awkward, hostile or scathing and sarcastic.

The floo turned green again and this time, Hermione knew it was Harry. The jet black hair that was spinning in the fireplace could only belong to him. Bill and Charlie stood up from their seats to get a better view. After all, this was their first time meeting Harry Potter.

As the floo stopped spinning, Harry lurched out of the fireplace. He didn't even try to land on his feet, choosing instead to go into a smooth roll and coming to stop with one knee on the ground, five feet away from the fireplace. His black hair fell freely to his shoulders, held out of his face by the halo he had taken to wearing. His alert green eyes took in the room and its occupants quickly, coming to rest on Hermione. His mouth formed into its perpetual half-smile that he usually gave her. Hermione could feel herself blush as she returned the smile, trying hard not to seem flustered. He looked just as much like a prince as the ones she had read about.

On the other side of the room, Harry straightened up, watching with a slight bit of amusement, as Ginny's face turned red enough to match her hair. What surprised him was that Hermione seemed to be having a similar reaction. Nor could he understand why Ron, who was standing next to him, suddenly seemed so pleased with himself.

-#-

Quidditch World Cup, England (Aug-11-1994)

"I still don't see why we had to come." –complained Jasmin, as she glared at one of the Bulgarian Quidditch players who seemed unable to stop himself from staring at her breasts. Behind her, Fleur, who was trying to get a good look at Krum, laughed. The World Cup match had just ended and most of the Quidditch stars were making their way into the Top Box for the Presentation ceremony. The match had been an exciting affair. Fleur had never thought she would actually enjoy such a violent game amidst such a crowded place. But she had.

Dom had ensured that they arrive just in time for the match to begin. This meant that most people were in their seats and Fleur, Jasmin and Apolline hadn't been gawked at so much. And when the match started, Fleur had been able to forget about everything else and watch some of the most skilled players in the world play Quidditch. She had never really been a fan of Quidditch, always considering it to be a barbaric sport. But between the cheering crowd of over a hundred thousand and the tremendous skill shown by both the seekers, she might well have had a change of heart. By the sound of it however, Jasmin clearly didn't share her enthusiasm.

"Unbelievable! You would rather stay at home doing nothing than be here?" Fleur scolded her adopted sister.

"If staying at home means I have less attention drawn towards me, then yes." Jasmin retorted, crossing her hands in front of her chest and glaring pointedly at the Quidditch player until he looked away.

Fleur was just about to respond when the stadium exploded with noise. A very bloody Krum had just shuffled his way into the spotlight. Even Jasmin, who didn't really understand the game, clapped her hands politely as Krum acknowledged the applause.

Neither Fleur nor Jasmin however, noticed the pair of calculating grey eyes studying them from behind.

Later that night

Harry watched grimly, from his seat atop a tree, as pandemonium reigned on the campsite. He had climbed the tree to try to spot Ron and Hermione, but the bedlam on the campsite had drawn his attention. The screams and yells coming from the campsite echoed throughout the woods. Some of the people were apparating from the woods as the mass of Death-eaters destroyed the campsite in an organized pattern. Tents were blown out of their path, as was any witch or wizard unfortunate enough to be caught in their way. The majority of the Ministry officials were concentrating their efforts on evacuating the campsite and protecting the high-level guests. The aurors, meanwhile, were trying to penetrate the Death-eater formation without causing hurt to the muggle family that was suspended in mid-air.

As Harry watched, an auror with a long scar on her left cheek fired a sparkling yellow curse at one of the death-eaters. The Death-eater, who had his wand pointed sky-wards, yelled and jumped out of the way. It would have been quite inconsequential had the Death-eater not been levitating a small, muggle girl. The girl soared through the air before starting to fall.

Harry knew he would never reach her in time. She was much too far from him to catch. But something told him to at least try. He pushed himself off the branch he was sitting on…and dropped twelve feet, landing with perfect balance. He was up and running before he had even come to a complete stop. He looked up again, trying to spot the girl in the darkness.

At that moment, he knew he would be too late. The girl was a good twenty five meters from him and just twenty feet from the ground. For a heart-stopping moment, Harry thought he was going to witness a gruesome death. Then someone at the side shouted- "ARRESTO MOMENTUM".

The girl slowed down just before she hit the dirt at the edge of the woods. She picked herself up, rather quickly for someone who had just fallen fifty feet through the air. She turned to see her parents still in the air, suspended by invisible ropes, spinning like tops. She seemed unable to process what she was seeing. Harry could see the terror in her eyes. For a moment, everything was still. Then the muggle girl turned and fled into the woods.

-#-

Dom saw the little girl he had just saved run into the woods. He was on the verge of following her when he saw an older boy dart into the woods after her. Dom was torn between staying back to help the aurors and the overpowering desire to go and make sure his family was safe. As soon as he had seen the Death-eaters, Dom had sent Fleur, Jasmin and Apolline, along with the aurors, into the woods to apparate away. He had elected to stay behind and help as best as he could. But now, he wasn't so sure. He just wanted to go back home and ensure his family was safe. He was about to enter the woods when a red stunner missed him by an inch. Dom turned back to fight….

-#-

Harry tried not to lose sight of the scared girl as she crisscrossed her way through the trees. At the rate she was running she looked unlikely to stop. Harry sped up and caught up to her near a small stream that winded through the woods. He tried to stop her by grabbing hold of her and regretted it immediately. She was plainly terrified. The moment his hands touched her she let out an ear-piercing scream that echoed across the woods. Harry immediately clapped a hand over her mouth.

She looked no older than seven or eight. Her blonde pigtails were covered with dirt and her blue eyes were looking at him with alarm. Harry immediately removed his hand covering her mouth. She wasn't screaming anymore. But she looked even more scared for it.

"It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you." Harry tried to keep his voice as low and reassuring as possible. "What's your name?"

"Anne."

Harry took his coat off and draped it over her shivering body. "It's going to be alright Anne. They'll get your parents down in a few minutes."

Anne's blue eyes filled with silent tears. The shock and fear were still visible in them. "Why are they hurting us? We didn't do anything."

Harry felt like he had been dully punched in his stomach. It was such an innocent question. And yet…..

"I don't know Anne. I guess….some people do bad things just because they can."

Suddenly, light erupted in a clearing across the stream followed by shouts and shrieks. Anne gave a start before hiding behind one of Harry's legs. Across the stream, the shrieking increased. Whoever it was, it was a girl and she needed help. Harry gently disengaged Anne from his leg and steered her to the nearest tree. "Anne I want you to stay here, alright? I'm going to go across there to see if anybody is hurt. Ok?"

Anne clutched at his legs again. "Don't go." She begged. "Please don't go."

Harry smiled down at her, although he really couldn't think of a good reason to do so. "I'm not going to leave you Anne." Then added reassuringly. "Don't worry. You won't remember any of this tomorrow, alright?" Anne nodded, clasping the coat around her more securely.

Without further ado, Harry turned and hopped into the stream. The water, which only reached his knees, was colder than he had expected. He felt the mud stick to his pants and the occasional rock under his feet as he waded through the marsh. He came to a stop behind a large, white rock and quietly peered across it.

The sight that met his eyes was one of utter disarray. Two girls were standing at the center of the clearing with their wands out. Harry could only see the back of their heads. One of them had silver hair and the other dark black. They stood shoulder to shoulder and covering them were two other older women wearing, what Harry recognized, as French Auror uniforms. A few feet away from them lay the prone figures of two other aurors. All this, Harry observed later. At that moment however, his attention was directed towards the other end of the clearing.

At least eight masked death-eaters were advancing on the group slowly, all with their wands outstretched. At the forefront was a huge death-eater who held a beautiful, silver-haired woman in one of his arms while the other was pointing a wand at her. Her limp body indicated that she was unconscious. "Drop the wands" he commanded "or the pretty lady gets it." One of the hard-faced aurors spat at his feet. The death-eater's reaction was hidden by his mask.

Harry exhaled slowly. He didn't have to think too hard to imagine what they were planning to do to them. It sickened him. He turned back to see if there was anyone around. But everything was silent, except for the strange sounds of the creatures in the swamp. He couldn't even see little Anne. She had been swallowed by the dark and he felt very alone indeed. The cold was starting to bite into his bare skin and his legs felt numb. Conventional wisdom told him to go for help. But instinct, overwhelming instinct, told him help would be too late.

In the blink of an eye, Harry made up his mind. From his position, he could only see part of the clearing and barely hear anything. What was worse was that there was no cover on either side. Harry briefly considered going back across the stream and circling around the clearing, but immediately dropped it. It would take much too long and there was a good chance one of the death-eaters might notice him. He looked around for a suitable vantage point and caught sight of a massive oak at the edge of the marsh twenty feet away. It looked like the perfect place to see without being seen. The only problem was there was nothing in between the tree and the rock he was hiding behind.

Harry considered it for a moment and then the answer hit him. He took a deep breath and slowly, very quietly, slipped under water. The water was nowhere near deep enough to swim in. But it was just deep enough and muddy enough to hide him. He crawled forwards using his elbows to propel him. It was slow work and every movement forward became an agony as he started to run out of air. Weeds were torture because they repeatedly entangled around his limbs, stalling his progress. At long last, after what felt like hours, Harry saw the roots of the oak in the water and surfaced. He tried to remain as silent as possible as he took deep, lungful's of air.

Harry thought the oak's trunk was wider than Dudley, which was saying something. He scaled it with as little movement as possible. The dense foliage on the branches meant he didn't have to be too careful. Nevertheless, he tried to be. The Death-eaters had closed in on the girls and they were properly trapped now. Harry realized with a start that the two aurors he had seen were lying on the ground nearby. One of them was holding a very bloody stomach and groaning while the other was stock still. As he watched, one of the Death-eaters stunned the groaning auror.

Harry still couldn't see the girls' faces because they were standing right underneath the branch he was perched on. The Death-eaters had formed a sort of semi-circle around the tree. Harry spotted something even more disturbing from his position. Hidden among the trees opposite was one more masked Death-eater who seemed to be just lounging against the trees.

It was a bad look-out, Harry decided. A small voice inside Harry's head retorted. But not impossible. The corners of his mouth twisted to form a sardonic smile.

He quietly slipped his wand out of his pocket and very quietly, started chanting under his breath "Petrificus tinium... petrificus tinium… petr" The end of his wand began to take a blue glow as he pointed it towards the Death-eater hiding in the trees opposite.

The Death-eater neither saw nor heard the small, blue dart of light that hit him squarely in the chest. Then without the slightest change of expression or posture, he fell backwards. As Harry had hoped, none of the other Death-eaters had noticed. It had been a modified petrifying curse. Inconspicuous and efficient, but it took longer to cast. The next move was a little difficult. The formation of Death-eaters meant that knocking out any one of them would not go unnoticed by the others and that meant he had to wait for the opportune moment.

-#-

Down below, Jasmin was in a living nightmare. She was standing slightly behind Fleur and it was all she could do to keep her wand hand from trembling. She didn't have to look at the faces of the Death-eaters to know what they were thinking. She could feel their eyes on her and Fleur.

The lead Death-eater broke the silence. "Don't make us hurt you now. Just drop your wand and we'll… let you go."

"That's why you cornered us here, is it?" Fleur spat out. "So you can let us go?"

"Well aren't you feisty darling?" His voice took on an animalistic quality. "I'm going to have a lot of fun with you tonight, making you squirm beneath me."

The Death-eater standing next to him spoke up. His voice sounded weak and unused. He was clearly an old man. "Have you forgotten our orders? We're to take the girl and leave. We don't have time for this."

"I don't care about some stupid order, you old sod. He ain't my master. I'll be damned if I let this opportunity go. I'm having myself a veela tonight." A murmur of agreement passed over their ranks as they eyed Fleur and Jasmin.

It was a tense moment. Fleur felt Jasmin's left hand on the small of her back. "What?"

"I can't breathe Fleur."

Fleur went very still. This was the worst possible moment for Jasmin to be having one of her panic attacks. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Jasmin starting to tremble and shake. She cast around for something reassuring to say, but couldn't come up with anything. Dom believed his family was safe, all the aurors were incapacitated and Apolline was unconscious on the Death-eater's arm. She herself was starting to grow cold with dread. There was no one left to help them.

With an effort, Fleur pulled herself away from these thoughts. She couldn't panic. Not now. Jasmin needed her. Her mother needed her to keep her wits about. She brought her left hand behind and clasped Jasmin's arm. "Hold on Adri. Please don't lose control now."

Jasmin clutched at Fleur's hand like it was a lifeline. She couldn't stop the tears spilling from her cheeks. This was it. The day she had dreaded. At last, Dom wasn't here to protect them anymore. She tried to imagine what it would be like. Perhaps it wouldn't be so painful. Perhaps they would let them live if they co-operated. Her skin crawled at the very thought. No. She would die before she let any of this scum touch her. And knowing Fleur, she was thinking along the same lines.

At that precise moment, a number of things happened in quick succession. The Death-eater at the very back of the group collapsed without a sound and the rest were so enamored by their prey, they didn't even notice. Jasmin couldn't understand what was going on. She felt herself struggling to breathe. The walls were closing in. It was all she could do to keep standing.

-#-

Up above, Harry was having a hard time aiming properly. The Death-eaters had moved closer together and they were right underneath the branch he was perched on. Harry could only see the top of their heads and their shoulders. The last Death-eater had gone down without making any noise. But that still left seven of them. Harry didn't know how useful the two girls would be in a fight, but the safe thing was to assume they would be useless.

The Death-eater at the extreme left never saw the red stunner that came from above. One minute, he was gazing at the black-haired veela's perfect breasts and next minute his face was in the dirt. But the rest of them heard the spell being cast. They looked around in panic, thinking aurors had found them. That gave Fleur the opening she needed. She didn't even bother with her wand as she brought her right foot up to meet the giant Death-eater's groin. He let go of Apolline and clutched his groin, howling in pain and agony. Apolline fell limply to the ground. Fleur left her where she was for the time-being and turned her wand on the nearest Death-eater without wasting a second. She cast the first spell that came to her mind which, unfortunately for the Death-eater, was a very nasty hex. Within seconds, he was covered in painful, pus-filled boils.

At the same time, Harry was causing a lot of chaos amongst the Death-eater ranks from above. He yelled- "Ossis Fragmen". A dark purple light erupted from his wand and hit one of the five Death-eater left standing in his right hand. It was a Bone-shattering curse. The crack of the man's forehand echoed around the clearing.

But unfortunately, the curse had also given away Harry's position. The Death-eaters finally realized that their attacker was above them. Curses of all colors flew in Harry's direction as three of the four remaining Death-eaters turned their attention towards him. The other one pointed his wand at Fleur. His mouth opened to cast a spell and for the briefest moment, Fleur thought she was going to die.

And then, someone flew through the air and landed knee-first on the Death-eater. His face hit the ground with a thud and he didn't move again. And all of a sudden, it was three on two. But now, the Death-eaters had the advantage. Their assailant wasn't in hiding anymore and they could aim properly at him now.

One of the three pointed his wand at Harry and yelled- "Crucio". Harry recognized the wheezy voice. It was the old man. He managed to dive out of the way. He landed smoothly on his shoulder and coming up on one knee. The old man tried to curse him again. But Harry was quicker. He fired a stunner before the old man could get all the words out. He had to throw himself out of the way and landed awkwardly on his face.

Fleur ducked and weaved as she dodged the curses of the two remaining Death-eaters. "Crucio…Crucio….You can't dance forever, beautiful."

Fleur ducked both the cruciatus curses and watched, in slow motion, as the other Death-eater's hex sailed towards her. She knew she would never be able to move in time…

Then, out of the blue, a shield jinx burst forth in front of her. She turned back to see Jasmin's dark eyes on hers. There was a quiet desperation in them. But there was also hope. Fleur felt a wave of relief wash over her. All the while she was battling; she had been praying Jasmin was alright.

It was now two on two and somehow, the Death-eaters felt outmatched. Jasmin and Fleur worked together seamlessly. Fleur kept up a steady stream of offensive hexes and curses, while Jasmin blocked most of the incoming curses. When she couldn't block a curse, she simply pulled or pushed Fleur out of the way. Even the Death-eaters watched the performance with a slight amount of awe. It was like they were fighting one person with four hands.

But then, out of nowhere, a dark purple curse flew in from the side and struck Jasmin on her left knee. Jasmin cry of pain was masked by Fleur's shriek. She turned to see who had cast the spell. It was the big Death-eater she had kicked in the groin earlier. His hood was gone to reveal a sickly white face with blonde hair. He fired another Bone-breaker at her. And for the second time that night, she felt herself freeze, unable to move.

Through her pain, Jasmin saw the lethal-looking curse heading for Fleur and without thinking, threw her arms around Fleur as her legs gave out. Both of them went down in a heap and Fleur dropped her wand. Before she could pick it up however, there were two other wands pointed at her and Jasmin's faces. Jasmin felt the despair growing in her again and instinctively, her hands sought Fleur's.

Suddenly, one of the hooded Death-eaters shouted- "WATCH OUT". They scattered as a fiery red curse came their way.

Harry was advancing on them with his wand upraised. The blonde Death-eater roared- "YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR MEDDLING WITH US".

Harry didn't even bother to acknowledge him as he fired another Bone-breaker in their direction. He had to be careful. They were standing very close to the girls. Then as luck would have it, the blonde Death-eater moved forward, closely followed by the other two. He waited. He waited patiently for them to come closer. Just as they neared a huge rock in the middle of the clearing, he bellowed- "EXPULSO".

The rock exploded with the force of a small bomb. Small pieces of rock turned into shrapnel as they embedded themselves in the Death-eaters. The blonde Death-eater caught the worst of it. His face was covered in rock and the other two weren't much better off either. Harry took his time stunning them.

And at long last, he breathed a sigh of relief. The battle was over and he had escaped with only a deep cut on his left shoulder, where one of the rock pieces had cut him. He used his right hand to put pressure on the wound as he walked towards the two girls. They were both trying to wake up the silver-haired woman. As he approached, they turned to look at him.

Harry stopped in his tracks. He knew veela were very beautiful. He had just seen them at the World Cup match. But surely what he was seeing now must be unreal. Women this beautiful couldn't exist. They had just been through a very harrowing ordeal and they looked nothing less than spectacular.

"Are you two alright?" he asked.

Both of them were looking strangely at him. The dark-haired girl seemed unsure about whether or not to talk to him. The silver-haired girl, on the other hand, was giving him a calculating look. It wasn't one he liked. Maybe because it was reminiscent to the look Snape usually gave him. She finally replied- "Yes, we're fine. But my mother needs a healer soon and my friend's knee is broken."

"Okay. If you can help your friend walk, I can probably carry your mother. We need to get out of here as soon as possible. There's no telling if there are more of them around."

That got them moving. Harry lifted the beautiful, silver-haired woman off the ground and was surprised by how light she was.

Fleur helped Jasmin to her feet and said to Harry. "Thank you… for saving us." For a minute she looked almost surprised at what she had just said. Jasmin chipped in- "We're really glad you came to help us". And she looked like she really meant it.

Harry grimaced as his shoulder gave an extra painful sting. He said wryly- "My pleasure". Something about what he said brought a smile on Jasmin's face. Fleur continued to look at him in a odd way.

"My name is H-"

"Miss Delacour… Miss Delacour… What happened to you? What happened to your mother? Why are you still here?" A very hefty man wearing French Ministry robes had come charging into the clearing followed by two others in similar robes. He stopped dead when he saw the carnage of the battle around him.

Fleur looked at him suspiciously. Something that Harry didn't miss. "Who are you? Do you know my father?"

For an answer, the man took out a Ministry badge from his robes. "Lucien Caron, miss. From the Department of Improper Use of Magic, French Ministry. What happened here?"

Fleur explained briefly what had happened. "… and if it wasn't for this man here, we would all have been dead or worse".

Lucien Caron nodded. He switched to English so that Harry could understand. "Thank you, monsieur. We owe you a great debt for saving one of our Minister's daughters."

"Yeah. No problem. Just hurry up alright? These people need medical help." Harry said indicating the prone bodies of aurors. Fleur looked at him incredously but didn't say anything.

Lucien Caron nodded again. "Of course. However, protocol dictates that you three surrender your wands. After all, you did attack these… people, even though it was only in self-defense. I assure you, you'll get it back soon."

They turned over their wands quietly. Harry was the last to hand over his wand. As he turned, he heard someone shriek, felt something hard crash into the nape of his neck, and felt no more.

A/N:- Okay…first things first. Yes, I changed Harry a little bit. I made him a bit taller, his hair a little longer and gave him a piece of cloth to cover his forehead. He doesn't wear glasses either. Apart from that, this is the same hero we all love to love. And Fleur and Jasmin will not be having accents. English is a beautiful language and I can't bring myself to slaughter it that way.

Second…. Sorry if you were expecting me to change the World Cup match. I think its fine just the way it is. But you don't have to be disappointed. There's going to be plenty of Quidditch action in this story. And no…. Harry did not meet the girls at the Top Box. And I'm also sorry if some of you felt my description of the battle was too tedious. In my defense, this is as much an action story as it a romance.

Third….about updates….I know how frustrating it is to wait for updates. There have been times when I have pelted authors with requests for updates just days after they published their newest chapter. But I'm afraid I can only write this story when I have the time. So please bear with me if I take some time updating. I will always stand by what I said in the first chapter. This story will be completed and it will be completed well. But considering the story I have in mind that might well take years. Also…. Since most of you felt that the last chapter was too long, I'll be keeping my chapters under 9000 words from now on. I will probably update once every month.

Finally…..to everyone who has fav'd, foll'd and reviewed. I know I thanked you at the beginning of this chapter, but I'm gonna do it one more time. Thanks a lot. I honestly didn't expect 300 follows after the first chapter itself.(Yeah, I'm bragging) You are the main reason I write this story, so please do let me know what you think of it. Thank you and sorry about the long A/N.